SCORM run-time environment as a service

Abstract

Standardization efforts in e-leaming are aimed at achieving interoperability among Learning Management Systems (LMSs) and Learning Object (LO) authoring tools. Some of the specifications produced have reached quite a good maturity level and have been adopted in software systems. Some others, such as SCORM RunTime Environment (RTE), have not reached the same success, probably due to their intrinsic difficulty in being understood adequately and implemented properly. The SCORM RTE defines a set of functionalities which allow LOs to be launched in the LMS and to exchange data with it. Its adoption is crucial in the achievement of full interoperability among LMSs and LO authoring tools. In order to boost the adoption of SCORM RTE in LMSs, we propose a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA)-based reference model for offering the SCORM RTE functionalities as a service, external to the LMS. By externalizing functionalities from LMSs, our model encourages the independent development of e-learning system components, allowing e-learning software producers to gain several benefits, such as better software re-use and easier integration and complexity management, with a consequent cost reduction. The proposed model is validated through a prototype system, in which a popular LMS, developed with PHP language, is enhanced with the support of SCORM RTE functionalities, provided by an external Web service based on Java technology.